Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kaunas and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Kaunas: $1,477 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

71

Cost of Living Index in Kaunas
Learn more

Kaunas Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index

Jump to prices

Kaunas

🇱🇹 Lithuania

$1,477

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kaunas and in Budapest

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Kaunas and in Budapest actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,477 per month in Kaunas vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

Kaunas $1,477
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $2,241 per month in Kaunas vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

Kaunas $2,241
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $3,005 per month in Kaunas vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

Kaunas $3,005
Budapest $3,489

Kaunas is about 9% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Kaunas and Budapest sit above the global median – Kaunas by 10%, Budapest by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.80 €10.53

$13.99 Ft 4,551

-15.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 €61.1

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

13.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.90 €8.84

$9.96 Ft 3,241

-0.60%

Cappuccino

$3.46 €3.08

$3.38 Ft 1,100

2.37%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 €2.97

$2.13 Ft 692

56.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 €2.87

$1.87 Ft 608

72.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.07 €4.52

$3.75 Ft 1,221

35.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 €3.89

$3.57 Ft 1,162

22.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 €1.40

$1.13 Ft 368

38.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 €1.59

$1.84 Ft 599

-2.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.22 €1.98

$2.39 Ft 777

-7.11%

Eggs

$3.36 €3.00

$3.83 Ft 1,245

-12.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.71 €13.13

$11.33 Ft 3,686

29.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.13 €7.25

$6.74 Ft 2,192

20.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.60 €12.14

$14.69 Ft 4,780

-7.42%

Apples (1kg)

$1.55 €1.38

$1.84 Ft 597

-15.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 €1.34

$2.01 Ft 653

-25.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 €1.94

$2.36 Ft 767

-8.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.33 €2.97

$3.77 Ft 1,226

-11.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.96 Ft 313

-2.08%

Onion (1kg)

$0.98 €0.87

$1.03 Ft 334

-4.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.83 €1.63

$1.56 Ft 509

17.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 €0.86

$0.66 Ft 216

45.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.14 €5.48

$7.96 Ft 2,591

-22.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.19 €9.10

$6.01 Ft 1,954

69.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.30 Ft 421

33.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.89

$2.08 Ft 676

1.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.09 €0.98

$1.50 Ft 489

-27.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.96 €28.52

$27.61 Ft 8,982

15.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 €1.02

$3.30 Ft 1,074

-65.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.87 €0.77

$1.30 Ft 424

-33.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.71 €14.02

$19.78 Ft 6,436

-20.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.81 Ft 591

5.52%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$26.9K €24.0K

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

-8.27%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$28.8K €25.7K

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

-15.50%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$203 €181

$170 Ft 55.3K

19.28%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$16.06 €14.34

$23.98 Ft 7,802

-33.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.30 €13.65

$23.42 Ft 7,621

-34.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.92 €29.38

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

-50.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.67 €25.59

$19.18 Ft 6,239

49.48%

Cinema Ticket

$11.99 €10.70

$9.52 Ft 3,098

25.95%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$682 €609

$537 Ft 174.6K

27.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,760 €7,818

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

-47.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.7 €76.5

$101 Ft 33.0K

-15.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.43 €36.08

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

-5.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 €108

$113 Ft 36.7K

7.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$164 €146

$119 Ft 38.6K

37.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$627 €560

$805 Ft 262.0K

-22.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$438 €391

$629 Ft 204.7K

-30.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$929 €829

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

-40.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$657 €586

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

-43.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,679 €3,283

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

-34.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,386 €2,130

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

-39.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,696 €1,513

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

4.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.05

6.43

-37.01%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Kaunas: October 6, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Kaunas

$438 30%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 43.7% $191

Groceries & Markets

Kaunas

$280 19.2%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 8.1% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kaunas

$234 16%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 7.1% $17

Eating Out

Kaunas

$226 15.5%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 0.7% $1.6

Clothing & Footwear

Kaunas

$185 12.7%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 8.5% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Kaunas

$57 3.9%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 49.9% $28

Getting Around

Kaunas

$42 2.9%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 3.8% $1.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $627 in Kaunas versus $805 in Budapest. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 4% higher in Kaunas, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68.0 in Kaunas versus $60.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $280 vs $258 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇱🇹 Kaunas

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

11:19 11:19 AM

10:19 10:19 AM

1 h behind Kaunas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

315,993

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 325 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kaunas Budapest 890 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Kaunas
Budapest

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Kaunas vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 10%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,215 per month in Kaunas and $2,432 in Budapest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kaunas, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 16% less in Kaunas. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $682 per month in Kaunas and $537 in Budapest. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Kaunas, where all-in costs run around $1,477, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Kaunas it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kaunas – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Kaunas. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Budapest makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.